Another John Wick/Matrix theory to blow your minds

We know, John Wick and Matrix theories are a dime a dozen, what with the two main characters looking so much alike (insert winky-face emoji here). Of course, there needs to be more to a theory than just the same actor playing both roles.

In the case of John Wick, we've already outlined an amazingly bananas theory about how the two movies are linked. But this new one posted to Reddit takes it a step further.

The theorist posits that the entire John Wick canon is a video game, a simulation of sorts that takes place within the Matrix.

It's easy to see why someone watching John Wick would make the videogame connection. Many current action-movie directors are of a generation that grew up on video games, and it's easy to understand why their work would reflect those same themes, styles and structures. Not to mention, the demographic of fans who watch these kinds of action films likely overlap with video-gamers.

In the case of John Wick, the movie is obviously inspired by video games and meant to look and feel like one. But there's more than just fighting style, shoot-'em-up narrative and visuals to put forward the theory that the whole thing takes place inside a video game.

Photo credit: Summit

In each film, John Wick has to defeat low-level adversaries before moving on to an ultimately more difficult, but more important, "boss" in a final showdown. During these fights, there is little dialogue, especially in comparison to Marvel movies where heroes spend a lot of time chatting as they go.

Wick is also seemingly indestructible – he sustains injuries but they miraculously heal on their own, much like a video game character's would the further away they are from the time of battle. Even in other action movies, characters have to have their scrapes attended to (even if, as we already know, they get fewer bruises than their opponents).

Photo credit: Lionsgate

While these big fights are going on between cabals of assassins, New Yorkers seem generally blasé about the whole thing, like your regular NPC (non-player-character) shuffling around in the background of a swordfight in The Witcher 3.

There is also the particular use of coins – no, we don't literally mean money, money is a thing we all use. Amassing coins to use for certain tasks is often part of video-game plots, and in John Wick, the coins are of great importance.

These coins can be used at The Continental, which acts as an inventory or rest stop for Wick and the other assistants, like a shop in a video game. Here, no violence takes place (usually) and characters can resupply and rest.

With all these facts laid out, the theorist goes on to say that John Wick 4 could (though we admit, won't) pick up with Wick realising he's part of a simulation/video game inside the Matrix. Then, he'll do his best to get out of it (like in every other Matrix movie).

Now we know that this is actually impossible, and there's no way Lana Wachowski would go for this (we don't think) for Matrix 4. However, the very fact John Wick provides ample foundation upon which this theory can be built, and slide into the Matrix world quite easily, shows how well thought out and consistent the John Wick series is.